Erised
by Jubileyn
Summary: He looked me in the eyes bravely and said four words that turned my world upside down. “You are my desire.”


Disclaimer: I claim no credit for the creation of these charismatic characters.

A/N: (Yeah, I cut the rant; it was too betchy. Also, please note, I tried not to change the original too much, but I modified the ending. It was waaaaay too cheesy.) Read and review! And if you could, let me know what you think about how I wrote Hermione. I was particularly nervous about this oneshot because I've never written one in first-person before. And the story…

**Erised**

I was uncharacteristically, unquenchably, and uncontrollably happy.

_Wait_, I told myself. _Slow down. Rewind. Freeze. The fact that he broke up with her has nothing to do with me,_ I scolded. But honestly, I was so ecstatic I could have done a Starfish and Stick while holding a banner that had the words, "I love you, Ron Weasley," written across it in red paint. But if he looked at me with something in his eyes that told me that he felt the same way, I wouldn't care that I had fallen and died from attempting to perform such a daring Quidditch stunt.

_I'm thinking nonsense!_ _Merlin, he's making me lose my bloody mind. Oh my Lord, I just swore!_ In my mind, but I cursed. _Oh, something is really wrong with me._

"Hermione?"

Harry was looking at me, eyebrows raised so high, they were nearly lost in his messy black hair.

"W-What?" I said hastily, regaining my composure. I tried to fix my look back on my face. You know the one that says, "Hi, I'm Hermione Granger. Reading is my idea of fun, nearly every spare second of my life is spent in a library, and of course I wasn't daydreaming about one of my best friends in the entire world. What a ridiculous suggestion! And no, you can't copy my Potions essay!"

Looking like this is no walk in the park. But usually I can manage it. Today, however, I couldn't suppress a very cheerful smile from my face.

"What are you so happy about?" Harry asked skeptically.

"It's just…" I sputtered, fishing around for an explanation. Maybe I could tell him the truth. Maybe he wouldn't laugh too much. Then I happened to catch a glimpse of who was standing beside him, that I surprisingly had not noticed before. There, in all his wonderfulness, stood Ron Weasley. Okay, the 'honesty is the best policy' idea just got chucked out the window. Plus there was also the fact that he was melting my brain by grinning at me like that.

"It's just… a nice day," I finished lamely.

"It's been nice all week," Harry pointed out, not buying my excuse in the slightest.

"Yes, but today is particularly nice," I rambled. I was totally pulling this blabber out of my wand and they knew it.

"Well, it would have to be," Ron said, a hint of laughter dancing in his blue eyes. (I silently thanked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for producing such a son.) "You're sitting on the grounds, _without_ a book, and staring dreamily into space." I blushed slightly when he said dreamily, and blast him, he noticed. "Plus, you haven't even asked us if we've finished our Potions essays yet," he teased.

"Did you-" I began.

"Finished it yesterday," he answered.

"Imagine that! You actually finished an assignment days, not hours or minutes, but days before it's due? I think I need to go to the hospital wing. I must not have heard you correctly." Ron made a face at me and I laughed. Harry was still goggling at me.

"Merlin," said Harry. "Whatever has put you in such a right happy mood, I hope it never goes away."

_Harry_, I thought. _Neither do I._

Dinner that night was a rather pleasant affair. Mostly pleasant because Ron wasn't sucking the face off Lavender. Ron and I were acting as though we had never argued in the course of our lives and everything seemed just spiffing. Then I remembered. "Ron, we have prefect duty tonight."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Hermione. Can't we just…"

"No, Ron, we can't blow it off. Prefect duty is _important_," I chided. Secretly, I wished I could blow off prefect duty. _Merlin, what is wrong with me?_

"Alright," he groaned. He stabbed at his potatoes sulkily.

"Guess the good mood wore off," Harry muttered.

"Ha ha," I said, wrinkling my nose at him disapprovingly. "At 8:30, we need to start doing the rounds."

"Fine."

After dinner, Ron, Harry, and Ginny played Exploding Snap, while I curled up lazily in a chair reading books. When I got to the copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" that I had borrowed from Harry, I giggled to myself quietly.

There under "This book belongs to: Harry Potter" was Harry's scribbled cursive, Ron's sloppy printing, and my own handwriting.

I remembered that argument as if it were only yesterday. I had shouted at Ron that he was going to end up like Fred and George if all he cared about was good times and Dungbombs. He had retorted heatedly that I was not his mother and it would do everyone a big favor if I stopped acting like it. We didn't speak for days.

I shook my head grimly. _What is the matter with me? I can't remember number twelve on yesterday's Charms test, but I can recall a memory from years ago with no trouble whatsoever?_ I sighed heavily. Ron shot me a quizzical look which I ignored expertly, hiding my face behind the book.

He walked over to me, leaving Harry and Ginny to flirt shamelessly, and plopped into the armchair opposite mine loudly. He was looking at me, a grin playing on his lips. I tucked my hair nervously behind my ear and acted as though I was oblivious of his presence. I pretended to be enraptured in the book but my heart was pounding wildly. And then I felt it. He stepped on my foot. On purpose.

I looked up at him dangerously, failing miserably at hiding a smile. "Yes?" I said, a trace of mock annoyances in my voice.

"Nothing," he said. "I was just wondering what you were thinking about."

"What do you mean?" I said, a little _too_ quickly.

"_I mean_, you're sitting over here giggling at a book. I didn't know Newt Scamander was that humorous."

I handed him the book, he read the page and laughed.

"I still remember this!"

"And then we had that silly-"

"Fight over nothing!" he finished.

_He even finishes my sentences for me. God, he is perfect even with all his imperfections_. Does that make _any_ sense?

Maybe that's why I'm being so… not me. He's finally rid himself of that tart, Lavender. _He didn't do it for me…_

When Ron had been with her, I had constantly been reduced to tears. Ginny had consoled me and told me that there was no possible way that he actually liked Lavender. She also said she knew for a fact that he liked me. To which I had responded with an unconvinced shrug, yet her words still gave me hope. And when Ron broke up with her, my hope positively _soared_. I hardly trusted myself around him anymore.

"Hermione?"

"Uh- yes?" I said, surprised. I had forgotten he was even there.

"It's 8:30. We should probably get started," and he pulled me out of the chair as though I weighed nothing. My mind was blissfully blank. His hand was holding mine. He stared at me and I stared back, wanting to lose myself in those eyes. Ginny and Harry were smirking at us and Ron pulled away, the tips of his ears a brilliant red. I stood there for a moment, still dizzy from his touch and caught Ginny's gaze. She gave me an encouraging look and nodded in Ron's direction.

I caught up with him just outside the portrait. We walked for awhile in embarrassed silence, checking rooms for students and patrolling the hallways. I was just about to say something when we entered an empty classroom. It was completely normal, save the large mirror standing in the middle. "What is that?" I asked Ron, for he seemed to act as though it was nothing he hadn't already seen before.

"It's the Mirror of Erised. It shows you the deepest desire of your heart. Come on, let's go," he said hurriedly, hand on my wrist, trying to pull me away

"Why? No, I want to try it." I wriggled out of his grasp and took a cautious step towards the mirror.

I don't know why, but I felt nervous when I stepped in front of the mirror. For a moment, there was nothing. But then…

I saw a slim, pretty sort of woman, with curly, brown hair. She was about twenty, I'd wager. She smiled at me kindly and then I recognized her. She was _me_. And then, suddenly a figure appeared, his arms wrapped around her. She smiled and he kissed her on the cheek. A tall, handsome man with flaming hair, ears pink at the tips. Ron. That was my hearts greatest desire: me and Ron. Together.

I felt my eyes water. Ron pulled me away from the mirror. "Are you alright?" he asked, alarmed at my tears. "What did you see?"

"Nothing," I lied. He wasn't fooled.

"Hermione," he said softly. "It's alright. You can tell me."

"You try it first!"

"I already did. In first year. I saw myself as Quidditch Captain and Head Boy holding up the Quidditch Cup proudly." My heart sunk. He didn't want me as much as I wanted him. _But that was in first year_, I thought. _Maybe it's changed. Anyway, what's so great about be- oh._ And then at long last, I finally understood him and it made me pity Ron even though I hated myself for feeling that way. I knew he wouldn't want my sympathy. "There," he said flatly. "Now you know how stupid I am to want meaningless things like that."

"No, Ron," I said, looking at him sadly. "You wanted to be someone special." I could barely choke out the words. "You felt like no one would ever take notice of you because you were surrounded by brothers who you perceived to be better then you. You thought if by achieving all these wonderful things, you could win the attentions of others. And that's not bad, to want someone who… who thinks you're the greatest. To want someone who… who loves you."

He looked at me, his eyes full of hurt, but also, gratitude. I flung my arms around him and hugged him close. He didn't pull away.

"It changed," he said, when we finally pulled apart.

"What did?" I asked gently.

"My desire. It changed a long time ago. I was afraid you would find out but… not anymore."

He looked me in the eyes bravely and said four words that turned my world upside down.

"_You_ are my desire."

I looked at him for a moment, unable to move or think. And then, I burst into tears. He held me in his arms and I cried. "I saw you and me in the mirror, together," I sobbed. "It's the only thing I want. It's the only thing I-" He kissed me. Sweetly, softly, and gently, he kissed me. I felt like I hadn't truly felt anything until this moment. I felt like I hadn't lived until this moment. I felt like I hadn't _loved_ until this moment.

He pulled away from me and gingerly wiped the tears from my eyes. I grabbed his hand and kissed it. "You know there's one thing I have that my brothers will never have and it makes me more valuable than anything."

"What's that?"

"You." He kissed me again and it was as lovely as the first.

I pulled him in front of the mirror with me. "It doesn't work if two people stand in front of it," he said, eyeing me curiously.

"It does for me." I waved at our reflection and I could see Ron grinning in the mirror.

We finished patrols together and headed back to the empty common room. I didn't really know how to part with him, it would be awkward after what had happened, I was sure. But then he smiled, and my brain gave out (which_ is_ possible, to any nonbelievers. Hermione Granger's brain _can_ fail). I didn't think for the rest of the evening: again, this is possible.

Ron Weasley and his mouth made it possible.


End file.
